The tournament schedule between now and 2026 undermines that though. No WC qualification, every other elite country has their own qualification campaigns, and UEFA has the Nations League
The Nations Leagues were created a) to give small countries something to play for and b) to increase UEFA & CONCACAF’s game inventory.
The US should drop out and set up a tournament with teams people want to see. Make it worth it for the other teams to do the same. Like a national Super League.